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- Revised label includes Boxed Warning detailing risk of serious skin reactions observed in the post-marketing setting that require treatment discontinuation -
Rash and serious skin reactions are known adverse events associated with INCIVEK combination treatment and were previously included in the warnings and precautions section of the label. Given the severity of the events reported in the post-marketing setting, and the importance of discontinuing INCIVEK combination treatment in the event of one of these reactions, the information has been given greater prominence through a boxed warning.
"The safety of people taking our medicines is our first priority, and we
are committed to ensuring that patients and physicians are aware of the
label update to help them use INCIVEK properly," said
In Phase 3 clinical trials, less than 1 percent of people who received INCIVEK combination treatment experienced a serious skin reaction. These serious skin reactions required hospitalization and all patients recovered. For serious skin reactions, INCIVEK combination treatment must be discontinued immediately, and patients should be promptly referred for urgent medical care.
The INCIVEK label was also updated to include additional information on the time to onset and management of anemia.
About INCIVEK
INCIVEK® (telaprevir) tablets is an oral medicine that
acts directly on the hepatitis C virus protease, an enzyme essential for
viral replication. INCIVEK has been prescribed to more than 50,000
patients in
In Phase 3 clinical studies, 79 percent of people who had not previously been treated for HCV achieved a viral cure following treatment with INCIVEK combination therapy, compared with 46 percent of those who received pegylated-interferon and ribavirin (P/R) alone. Among people who were treated previously but did not achieve a viral cure, in the Phase 3 studies: 86 percent of relapsers achieved a viral cure with INCIVEK combination therapy compared to 22 percent with P/R alone; 59 percent of partial responders achieved a viral cure compared with 15 percent with P/R alone; and 32 percent of null responders achieved a viral cure compared with 5 percent with P/R alone. In addition, many people are eligible to complete treatment with INCIVEK combination therapy in 24 weeks — half the time required for treatment with P/R alone.
INCIVEK was approved by the
Vertex developed telaprevir in collaboration with
INCIVEK® (telaprevir) is a prescription medicine used with the medicines peginterferon alfa and ribavirin to treat chronic (lasting a long time) hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in adults with stable liver problems, who have not been treated before or who have failed previous treatment. It is not known if INCIVEK is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.
Important Safety Information
INCIVEK® (telaprevir) should always be used in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin. INCIVEK combination treatment may cause serious side effects including skin rash and serious skin reactions, anemia (low red blood cell count) that can be severe, and birth defects or death of an unborn baby.
Skin rashes are common with INCIVEK combination treatment. Sometimes these skin rashes and other skin reactions can become serious, require treatment in a hospital, and may lead to death. Patients should call their healthcare provider right away if they develop any skin changes during treatment with INCIVEK. Their healthcare provider will decide if they need treatment or if they need to stop INCIVEK or any of their other medicines. Patients should not stop taking INCIVEK combination treatment without talking with their healthcare provider first.
Patients' healthcare providers will do blood tests regularly to check for anemia. If anemia is severe, the healthcare providers may tell them to stop taking INCIVEK.
INCIVEK combined with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin may cause birth defects or death of an unborn baby. Therefore, a patient should not take INCIVEK combination treatment if she is pregnant or may become pregnant, or if he is a man with a sexual partner who is pregnant. Females who can become pregnant and females whose male partner takes these medicines must have a negative pregnancy test before starting treatment, every month during treatment, and for 6 months after treatment ends. Patients must use two forms of effective birth control during treatment and for 6 months after all treatment has ended. These two forms of birth control should not contain hormones, as these may not work during treatment with INCIVEK.
INCIVEK and other medicines can affect each other and can also cause side effects that can be serious or life-threatening. There are certain medicines patients cannot take with INCIVEK combination treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare providers about all the medicines they take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
The most common side effects of INCIVEK combination treatment include itching, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, anal or rectal problems (including hemorrhoids, discomfort , burning or itching around or near the anus), taste changes and tiredness. There are other possible side effects of INCIVEK, and side effects associated with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin also apply to INCIVEK combination treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers them or doesn't go away.
Please see full Prescribing Information including Boxed Warning, and the Medication Guide for INCIVEK available at www.INCIVEK.com.
About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which is spread through direct contact with the blood of infected people and ultimately affects the liver.1 Chronic hepatitis C can lead to serious and life-threatening liver problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer.1 Though many people with hepatitis C may not experience symptoms, others may have symptoms such as fatigue, fever, jaundice and abdominal pain.1 Unlike HIV and hepatitis B virus, chronic hepatitis C can be cured.2 If treatment is not successful and a person does not achieve a viral cure, they remain at an increased risk for progressive liver disease.3,4
More than 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with
hepatitis C.5 In
About Vertex
Vertex creates new possibilities in medicine. Our team discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapies so people with serious diseases can lead better lives.
Vertex scientists and our collaborators are working on new medicines to cure or significantly advance the treatment of hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other life-threatening diseases.
Founded more than 20 years ago in
Vertex's press releases are available at www.vrtx.com.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without
limitation, Dr. Kauffman's statements in the third paragraph of this
press release. While the company believes the forward-looking statements
contained in this press release are accurate, there are a number of
factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially
from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and
uncertainties include the risks listed under Risk Factors in Vertex's
annual report and quarterly reports filed with the
2 Pearlman BL and
3 Morgan TR, Ghany MG, Kim HY, Snow KK, Lindsay K, Lok AS. Outcome of sustained virological responders and non-responders in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial. Hepatology. 2008;50(Suppl 4):357A (Abstract 115).
4 Veldt BJ, Heathcote J, Wedmeyer H. Sustained virologic response and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007; 147: 677-684.
5 Ghany MG, Strader DB, Thomas DL, Seeff, LB. Diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis C; An update. Hepatology. 2009;49 (4):1-40.
6 Chak, E, et. al.
8 Smith, BD, et al. Hepatitis C Virus Antibody Prevalence,
Correlates and Predictors among Persons Born from 1945 through 1965,
9 Volk MI, Tocco R, Saini S, Lok, ASF. Public health impact
of antiviral therapy for hepatitis C in
10 Ly KN, et al. The Increasing Burden of Mortality From
Viral Hepatitis in
11 Pyenson B, Fitch K, and
News Provided by Acquire Media


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US Storm System That Killed 16 People Spawns Tornado In Mississippi
(Reuters) - A ferocious storm system caused a twister in Mississippi and threatened tens of millions of people across the U.S. Southeast on Monday, a day after it spawned tornadoes that killed 16 people and tossed cars like toys in Arkansas and other states.
A tornado went through Tupelo, Mississippi in the northern part of the state at about 3 p.m. (1800 GMT), damaging hundreds of homes, downing power lines and toppling trees, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant told CNN.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries after six instances of tornadoes touching down in the state.
"It is not over. This is going to be a prolonged storm," Bryant said.
Parts of Alabama, western Georgia and Tennessee also were at risk as the storm system that produced the series of tornadoes headed east toward the Mid-Atlantic states.
Rescue workers, volunteers and victims have been sifting through the rubble in the hardest-hit state of Arkansas, looking for survivors in central Faulkner County where a tornado reduced homes to splinters, snapped power lines and mangled trees.
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said at least 14 people died statewide in the storm that authorities said produced the first fatalities of this year's U.S. tornado season. He previously told a news conference 16 had been killed but later said there was a mistake in calculation.
Nine of the victims came from the same street in the town of Vilonia, with a population of about 4,100, where a new intermediate school set to open in August was heavily damaged by a tractor trailer blown into its roof. A steel farm shop anchored to concrete was erased from the landscape.
Beebe told reporters of the capricious nature of tornadoes. He said a woman died when the door of her home's reinforced safe room collapsed, while a father and three daughters survived by seeking shelter in a bathtub that was flipped over in winds that leveled the house.
One person was killed in neighboring Oklahoma and another in Iowa, state authorities said.
"Everything is just leveled to the ground," Vilonia resident Matt Rothacher said. "It cut a zig-zag right through town."
Rothacher was at home with his wife and four children when the tornado passed through. While his home survived, The Valley Church where he serves as pastor was flattened.
Two elementary school-aged boys died in their home after having a pizza dinner at a friend's home, said Rothacher, who was helping provide grief counseling to the family that had sent the two boys home after they finished their meal as the storm approached.
The home that the boys left survived the tornado. The home the boys returned to did not, Rothacher said.
"These homes, these lives, won't be put back together anytime soon. It will be a long road to healing for these families."
The White House said President Barack Obama, who has been on a trip abroad, called Beebe to receive an update on the damage and to offer his condolences.
Medical officials reported at least 100 people in Arkansas were injured.
"It's so heartbreaking. I've never seen destruction like this before," U.S. Representative Tim Griffin told reporters after touring Vilonia, which was previously hit by a tornado about three years ago. "I saw a Dr. Seuss book in the rubble. I saw a Spider-Man shirt in the rubble. It just breaks your heart."
The roar of heavy equipment filled the air in Vilonia and nearby Mayflower as crews worked to clear debris off the streets or to load rubble onto trucks for removal.
The National Weather Service said the threat of tornadoes will last for several days as a strong weather system interacts with a large area of instability across the central and southern United States.
"This is a multi-day event and today is the second day of significant tornado risk and unfortunately, probably not the last," said Bill Bunting, operations chief at the National Weather Service's Storm Predictions Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency for four counties where tornadoes hit on Friday and warned that more rough weather was on the way.
More than 10,000 people were without power in Arkansas on Monday morning, officials said.
The Arkansas National Guard was deployed to sift through the wreckage. Beebe declared a state of disaster for Faulkner and two other counties.
A tornado in Baxter Springs, Kansas that touched down on Sunday evening destroyed as many as 70 homes and 25 businesses and injured 34 people, of whom nine were hospitalized, state and county officials said. One person was killed in Kansas, likely due to the same storm system, officials said.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Posted by Editoress on 12/8/04
Wind Del Park - Racing Velodrome Resurfacing project
Courtesy OCA
Located 30 Km south of Paris in Windham Centre Ontario, the Wind Del cycling Velodrome is the only one of its kind in Ontario. This track was constructed almost 30 years ago by a dedicated team of volunteers. It has been the training location for many of Canada's top racing cyclists as well as host to numerous Ontario Cycling Association events.
Although the track base is in good condition, the asphalt needs to be resurfaced. This project is estimated to cost up to $100,000.00 dollars. Because of this, high-speed cycling events must be held outside the province, hours away, and costing thousands more to host an event.
The ONTARIO CYCLING ASSOCIATION and the HUMAN POWERED TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION are partnering with other cycling groups in the province to raise funds to resurface this track.
We need your help to save this track from destruction and bring our Canadian racers back home to train and Race.
There are two options for you to support this cause. The first is simply a tax-deductible donation. There are no sponsorship rights associated with this support; however, there will certainly be acknowledgement for these supporters. Cheques or money orders can be made out to the "Sport Is Development Fund" and mailed to the OCA office. Credit Cards will also be accepted: call the OCA at 416.426.7416. Tax Receipts will be mailed out within two to three weeks. Registered Charitable number: BN 88938 6868 RR0001
The second option involves a sponsorship / partnership. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joe Mitrovic: email@example.com
Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top |


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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as "rtl meinungsmacher"
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The CPIR is pleased to connect you with sources of information for helping your child with his or her behavior at home.
Having a child with challenging behavior can affect the entire family, and family members often find the need for more information and guidance in this difficult area. The resources listed below are intended to connect families with resources and support. The list isn't intended to be exhaustive of the behavior resources available, but it will certainly get you started and lead you to yet more information and resources.
Using Positive Methods for Change at Home
How might you address your child's challenging behavior?
You'll find this reader-friendly site is well organized. It has facts about all aspects involved in working with children who have challenging behavior. Links to information on assessment and special education are provided.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/inclusivecommunities/challenging_behavior.html (English)
http://www.pbs.org/parents/inclusivecommunities/challenging_behavior_sp.html (Spanish)
Yet more on teaching children to manage their own behavior.
What Works briefs from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning summarize effective practices for supporting children's social-emotional development and preventing challenging behaviors. This 4-pager describes practical strategies for helping children learn to manage their own behavior and provides references to more information.
English | http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/wwb/wwb7.html
Spanish | http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb7-sp.pdf
Alternatives to spanking.
Based on research, experts offer productive and concrete alternatives to spanking that parents can implement after little kids have misbehaved.
Reinforcing small changes in behavior.
Written by a psychologist who works extensively with children and teens with AD/HD and explosive and defiant behaviors, this article talks about how children and adolescents learn, about misbehavior, and small steps that parents can use to help their child toward better behavior.
Get behavior in shape at home.
How do you create a Positive Behavioral Support system in your home? This Web site gives easy-to-implement suggestions. Learn the reasoning behind different techniques and how to use them to achieve your behavior goals. Specific examples include: eating dinner, asking for things while grocery shopping, and budgeting to teach children the value of money.
English | http://www.pbis.org/common/cms/files/pbisresources/behaviorshape.doc
Spanish | http://www.pbis.org/common/pbisresources/publications/behshapespanish.doc
Your parent-friendly guide to functional assessment and support.
This 21-page guide describes what a functional assessment is, and what it can do to help your child. You can use this information to help your child at home, and also work with school staff to put a plan into place at school.
Top 7 behavior management tips.
Many behaviors can be minimized by controlling your response to them. With these tips, you can decrease behavior problems using redirection. The goal of redirection is to teach the student to monitor and correct his own behavior.
Managing bad behavior at home.
This article takes a look at the question of "why kids are horrors at home."
What is a functional behavioral assessment? Overview for parents.
A 3-page brief for parents on functional behavioral assessment.
English | http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/php-c215a.pdf
Spanish | http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/php-c215a(s).pdf
Improving Family Life
How to get help for your child.
Having trouble getting what your child needs? This reader-friendly site offers communication tips to use when seeking help. You'll learn techniques for keeping things in perspective, focusing on the problem at hand, and what info you should be prepared to provide when you are asking for help. Plus, you can print out a handy checklist to help keep track of the information you gather.
How to get help for yourself.
The link below will lead you to a group of parents who are raising challenging children. They invite you in and offer their site as a "soft place to land for the battle-weary parent."
Fact sheets! Get your fact sheets here!
This site is a fact sheet treasure chest. You'll find information on an wide range of topics such as anxiety disorders, bullying, ADHD, and autism.
Mental health fact sheets.
This web site has dozens of fact sheets on various issues, including ADHD, depression, conduct disorders, oppositional defiance disorder, and violent behavior. These up-to-date, well-written pubs are available in English, español, Deutsch, Français, Polish, and Icelandic.
About temperament and its effect on behavior.
Let Great Schools introduce you to nine temperament traits: activity level, sensitivity, regularity, approach/withdrawal, adaptability, mood, intensity, persistence, and distractibility. Find out to pinpoint your child's traits and how they can affect behavior.
Working with your child's temperament.
Get ideas on helping children in ways that match their natural tendencies. This site offers suggestions for managing extreme behaviors. Click on the link to the Parent to Parent message board to read tips from other parents.
Would you like to visit another page in this Behavior Suite?
If so, here are quick-jump links for your convenience:
- Behavior Expertise
- Behavior Assessment, Plans, and Positive Supports
- Behavior at Home (you're here!)
- Behavior at School
- Bullying


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Instruments in the VOCALS Field Campaign
Scientists use lots of instruments during the VOCALS field campaign. The instruments collect data about the atmosphere and the ocean. Some of the instruments are on satellites or airplanes. Other instruments are on ships or buoys in the ocean.
Radar measures wind speed and spots rainfall. It can also measure the sizes of water droplets in clouds. LIDAR is like radar but uses laser light instead of radio waves. LIDAR measures tiny aerosol particles and the "edges" of clouds.
Radiosondes and dropsondes carry instruments that measure pressure, altitude, temperature, humidity, and wind. They are lifted into the sky on balloons or dropped on parachutes from airplanes.
Cameras on airplanes and satellites take pictures of clouds and the sea surface. Radiometers measure the amount of sunlight reflected from cloud tops. They also measure infrared radiation coming from different levels in clouds and the atmosphere. They can find out how much light can pass through clouds. Spectrometers measure chemicals in the atmosphere and in aerosols.
Instruments towed by ship measure temperature, saltiness, and pressure in the ocean. A special kind of sonar collects data on ocean currents.


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Note from Elizabeth: Last Friday was Amber's last day at work on the Morton project. We'd like to thank her immensely for her dogged, patient, and insanely organized work sorting through the slides, and her charming blog posts. We wish her all the best with the rest of her education!
I've learned a lot over the last ten months working on this collection. I've learned about archival procedure, making many mistakes along the way (the method for organizing the slides changed probably four or five times before I found one that worked). I have found homes for hundreds of "orphan" slides, and processed more than 72,000 slides in total. I've also been able to travel to amazing places: Grandfather Mountain, the Fern Grottoes of Hawaii, the McNeil River in Alaska, Galilee at Sunrise, Puerto Rican beaches, and Milford Sound in New Zealand.
I've probably learned the most, though, about photography. Hugh Morton was an artist, crafting amazing pictures out of everyday objects. On my two visits to Grandfather Mountain, everyone shared with me tips and tricks Hugh had taught them for taking great pictures. Now, I don't feel I am betraying any of these secrets, because Hugh took all of the following pictures to document his process.
When I saw the Linn Cove Viaduct, I thought it was a pretty scene. But it lacked something that Hugh was able to capture. (Elizabeth touched on this in a previous post about her visit to the Mountain). I heard from two different people at Grandfather how Hugh would have helpers bring potted plants or hold branches of fall leaves to frame that perfect shot. Below, we can see how he positioned a rhododendron stem just out of frame to create the resulting beautiful picture above.
I also found slides of how he captured his amazing hummingbird pictures. I always wondered how he was in the right place at the right moment to capture that hummingbird going to that flower. Turns out it wasn't always serendipity! The shot below shows how he set everything up on his deck at home. He would lure the hummingbirds in with a feeder, then add the bottle holding the flower. The feeder would be removed, leaving only the thistle blossom. (His camera was inside pointed out the sliding glass doors so that he wouldn't scare the little darlings away). He could then snap as many shots as possible without having to wait all day for the right moment.
Some of my favorite shots of the bears were from when they had climbed to the top of the rock in their habitat or on a cliff by the Swinging Bridge. I thought they had done that on their own, maybe to enjoy the majestic view. Nope. Hugh would have a helper lay a trail of peanut butter up the rock for the bear to follow. Often, there would be someone just out of sight luring the bear with more treats. If you look at those pictures now, you can see that the bears are usually peering over the ledge at something.
On my last trip to the Mountain, I had to laugh when I saw a Morton postcard showing a beautiful red fox running through the snow. It was faked! I've seen pictures of that same fox, in that same pose, in many different settings — there's even one of it chasing a taxidermied rabbit! And Julia Morton also shared with us that Hugh carried around moose antlers in Alaska to add scenic perspective.
So, to be a scenic photographer of Hugh's caliber, I need helpers to stage the scene with potted plants and tree branches. I need some sort of treat to entice the models in my pictures (whether man or beast). And I need a stuffed fox. Oh, and some moose antlers.
I'm going to need a bigger camera bag.


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The chart below quantifies the impact of the government shutdown on departments and agencies. You can view an interactive version at the WSJ using the link below.
CDC Shutdown: No In-Depth Investigations of Outbreaks
Better hope for no big outbreaks of hepatitis A, salmonella, or flu if the federal government shuts down.
A government shutdown will furlough 68% of staff – meaning 8,754 people — at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a fiscal year 2014 "Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations in the Absence of Enacted Annual Appropriations" on the Department of Health and Human Services' website.
That means no in-depth investigations to identify and link outbreaks that may be occurring simultaneously in multiple states, according to a CDC spokeswoman. While state public health investigators may detect outbreaks on their own territory, "we won't be doing the cross-state consultation and laboratory work to link outbreaks that might cross state borders," such as a hepatitis A outbreak earlier this year that sickened 162 people in 10 states, spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said in an email. The CDC investigation helped link the infections to pomegranate seeds from Turkey.
Nor will CDC have staff or funding to fight measles outbreaks or monitor seasonal flu activity, she said. Surveillance for emerging diseases like MERS, the deadly virus that has sickened more than 130 people and killed 58, mostly in Saudi Arabia, will be limited, she said.
What will the remaining 4,071 CDC staff do? "Minimal support" to protect health and well-being, according to the HHS document. "We will keep our emergency operations center operating at a reduced capacity so we can gear up to stop a serious outbreak when it's discovered," Ms. Reynolds said.
And the fight against childhood obesity will go on, at least partly, thanks to a demonstration project funded by the CDC through the federal health law. Other programs whose funding isn't pegged to the current debate in Congress will also continue, like global AIDS and a national program to provide vaccines to low-income children.
Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.
via: wsj


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To switch it up, you can substitute different cheeses for the mozzarella in this grilled chicken panini recipe. Photo courtesy J.M. Smucker Company.
Meats & Poultry Category Main Page Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles Main Page Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
Product Reviews Main Page Food, Beverages, Books, News & More
April 2009
This panini recipe was a finalist in the 2009 Crisco Grilling Hall Of Fame Contest. You can read more about the contest on Page 1 of this recipe series. This is Page 5 of a 15-page article. Click on the black links below to view the other recipes.
Recipe Index
No one will say "no" to a sandwich of grilled chicken covered with melted mozzarella, accented with roasted red peppers and some Caesar dressing. Whole wheat bread is a healthier choice (learn more about whole grains). Serves 4.
Go To Page 6: Grilled Greek Feast
Go To Recipe Index Above
Recipe copyright 2009 J.M. Smucker Company. All rights reserved. Other material


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Like many woodworkers, we didn't have the space or money to
commit to a fancy finishing system, with the requisite spray and safety
equipment, large dust-free area, etc. But we weren't willing to give up
our usual high standards about our tools and our end products. We realized
that what we needed were some good finishing brushes. When we wanted to
get our hands on the best possible brushes for finishing, we were a bit
stymied. Most of the finishing brushes - i.e., brushes sold for use with
varnish or shellac - are basically adaptations of paint brushes and none
particularly impressed us. So we figured that we'd need to do some historical
research in order to understand the design features of a great finishing brush.
The key bit about researching a topic, however, is there has to be something
to research. In general, cabinetmakers and finishers in the early part of
the 19th century and beforehand weren't particularly literary fellows, so
the amount of literature on the subject of finishing is pretty minimal.
And since brushes wear out, there are almost no brushes surviving from the
18th or early 19th century - certainly not brushes for finishing furniture.
Another frustration for a would-be researcher is that when some early writer
does decide to write something on the subject of brushes for furniture finishing,
they insist on not telling us much. We can read their view that one should
"only use the best camel hair brush for applying varnish," but why? What
does such a brush look like? How big? What kind of ferrule? The sources
are mostly silent. So we realized we need to do some practical research
- buy and analyze every kind of brush on the market; interview finishers
and brush makers; and give everything a test run - in order to understand
why some brushes performed better than others. Here's what we found.
The most important characteristic of a good brush is that
it doesn't leave brushmarks. Lots of modern finishes are designed to be
self leveling, which means that the finish will turn out okay even if you
use a mediocre brush. However, fast-drying finishes like shellac dry before
the finish levels, making the technique and the tools much more important.
(One way to minimize brushmarks is to thin the finish, but you end up needing
more coats. Some people avoid the whole issue by applying the shellac with
a pad, which is the essence of French polishing, but it's pretty common
to try to brush the first heavy coat of shellac on just to get some buildup.
And applying shellac on carved or molded surfaces is hard to do without
a good brush.)
Second, we knew we wanted a brush that had a large enough capacity for a
store of finish, so that you can apply a large amount without puddling or
having to re-dip the brush constantly. We also wanted a brush that would
go around corners, edges and carvings evenly, without leaving blobs of finish.
This is really important and makes the difference between a good brush and a
great brush. We wanted a brush that was easy to clean and didn't degrade
or lose hair with cleaning. In the context of making expensive furniture
worth thousands, even a $40 brush could be considered basically disposable,
but between coats you need to be able to store the brush in solvent without
the brush degrading.
Third, we wanted a brush that didn't shed hair into the finish. Even a good
brush will shed a few hairs on its first application, but we wanted a brush
to be sufficiently well made so that its base would keep the hair in. Nobody
likes picking little bristles out of a finished piece!
We knew a brush with these characteristics would satisfy our final requirement:
that it should last for years.
The best way to avoid brushmarks is use a brush with very fine hair.
Most historical material says that the finest brushes use "Camel" hair,
but our research indicated that there was no such thing as "Camel" per se
- the term was applied to any fine hair. The best brushes we tested use
European ox hair, though badger, skunk, and squirrel hair were also
- mainly for small, artists' brushes. Most brushes for finishing are made
from "China bristle," which is actually Chinese boar bristle. The best China
bristle is white, but it is usually too coarse for finishing. So brushmakers
using China bristle beat the hair in a process called "flagging," which
essentially splits the end of the hair into finer bits. This process gets
you a finer but weaker bristle.
Click here for a look at different types of hair used in finishing brushes.
Many modern brushes use nylon and other synthetic materials. While some
people swear by their artificial brushes, most finishers find that natural
hair's porosity, ability to grab and hold finish and other properties are
hard to duplicate, and so agree that the best brushes still use natural
After lots of testing we chose European ox hair for our brush. As our brushmaker
commented to us many times,
ox hair is about the most expensive material you would ever put in a finishing
brush, but its fine texture really makes a difference. Figuring out the
right length of brush was also important. If the brush's hair is too long,
you lose control because the brush bends and smooshes. If the hair is too
short, the brush will be too stiff. With the European ox hair, we could
have a fairly short bristle length and keep control but still have that
all important softness.
Manufacturers often save money on their brushes by inserting a filler piece
in the middle of the ferrule. The filler is a wedge of wood that takes up space normally filled
by hair and divides the brush into halves. This creates a space just in front
of the filler which is useful with a heavy material like paint - the space
creates a well for the paint, letting you have a longer stroke - but it
does make the stroke less predictable, and more importantly, the divided
hair prevents the brush from breaking evenly over an edge. Since the disadvantages
so clearly outweigh the advantages for a finishing brush, we made our brush
with no filler pieces, and only very tightly packed hair.
Traditionally a brush's hair was tied to the brush handle by wrapping with string. Some artists' brushes are still made that way, as are European shellac mops. The advantage, of course, is that there isn't any metal to rust. The disadvantage is that you are limited to round shapes. Modern metal ferrules can be excellent. Typically ferrules are made of some sort of plated steel, but copper is also used. The best material is stainless steel, which of course won't rust and contaminate your finish. Click here to see the different types of ferrules.
Taking the hair and packing it into the ferrule is a highly skilled job. brushmaking by hand is nearly a lost art. In this short film (4½ minutes) , which might be the only film ever made of a brushmaker making finishing brushes (as opposed to much smaller artists brushes), you can see how bundles of European ox hair get inserted into a stainless steel ferrule - the first, and most critical process, of making a brush. This is where the character and style of the brush is determined. This is a difficult brush to make: the hair has to be packed densely in the ferrule and then brush has to be properly shaped at the tip. Our brushmaker, Norma, has been making brushes in New York City for over 30 years. You can see from the film the care and skill that goes into correctly forming each brush. She shapes the brush with a series of wooden forms, careful tapping and brushing. If you were to cut the hair to sculpt the shape of bristles, you'd lose the natural ending of tips - that which makes the natural brush work so well. There are very few trained brushmakers left in the United States, so we feel fortunate to have found such a craftswoman to make our brush.
Once the brushmaker has finished inserting and shaping the hair in the ferrule, the natural spring of the hair holds everything in place until the hairs can be solidly fixed in the ferrule. In the old days brushmakers used glue or rubber, but these days they use epoxy. A layer of thin epoxy is poured into the back of the ferrule to trap each hair permanently. Higher-end brushes such as ours use a special light-weight transparent epoxy.
When the epoxy dries, all that's left is to attach a handle
and pack up the brush. There are dozens of designs of handles. One nice
thing about a modern ferrule is that it can be of any shape, so brushmakers
can choose a very nice handle. We chose a beaver tail handle. It just felt
good in the hand.
The handle is stamped with our logo and the ferrule is nailed on.
The final step: packing the brush for shipment. The important thing is to
protect the hair from bending and other damage. Our brushmaker recommended
that we pack the brushes in a traditional paper wrap so the hair could breathe.
This prevents moisture damage and makes the hair last longer and perform
better. So we followed her advice and use paper instead of the usual plastic.
We think these brushes are some of the best brushes made in the United States in the past generation or two. We hope you will agree. Researching this project was fascinating. brushmaking isn't about forging steel, but is still a highly skilled toolmaking craft that woodworkers benefit from. And of course that's what it's all about.
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WARNING: Derp Ahead:
Uncle Mike's nylon pancake holster. :/ I'm sure those work "ok" for a while… but if you're serious about carrying why wouldn't you drop ~$100 on something that is actually good?
Oh god… strike two – 1:53 he whips out his concealed carry badge. I'd love to see him show a cop that… I'd die laughing.
Real sheepdog in that digital puke camo breakup shirt too.
3:50 – "if anything, he's the one that's gonna run away and I'm going to be after him like this (running action)" <— ha yea… good luck shaking a murder charge where you chased down a threat and then shot him dead.
Lots of "clip" talk…. *facepalm*
I do agree on if you have the frame to carry a fullsize, why not? Really though the G19 (or your preferred compact Glock) is just as good if you ask me.
Tactical AK is what's going to welcome you if you come to his house. hahahah gold…
10:00 – the vigilante / toughguy talk comes out. Again.. good luck with your court case after you possibly just turned a simple robbery into multiple homicides.
10:25 – "And you can give'er the old spin" *facepalm* Yea great idea… *slow clap*
That index finger stayed within the trigger guard for quite a large portion of the video too… with bad habits like that, this guy will put a hole in himself eventually.
Hat tip: Monty S.


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A Dolphin Calf Joins the Pod at Brookfield Zoo
October 21, 2013
Brookfield Zoo, managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, welcomed a newborn male dolphin calf on October 16. The calf, born to 31-year-old mother Tapeko, is approximately 40 pounds (18 kg) and 3.5 feet long (107 cm). Mother and calf are currently off exhibit, and the zoo's dolphin presentations have been temporarily canceled to allow Tapeko and her calf time to bond and get acquainted with the other dolphins in the group.
Following the birth, it is important for the calf to demonstrate several key milestones, including nursing and slipstreaming, which is when the calf rests in the hydrodynamic wake made behind the mother as she swims. This allows the mother to use her own energy to help the calf glide behind her. Marine mammal and veterinary staff have observed the new calf displaying these behaviors and, encouraged by what they have seen so far, are cautiously optimistic that the little male is on the right track.
"We know that the first 30 days are extremely critical in the calf's life," said Rita Stacey, marine mammal curator for the Chicago Zoological Society. This time frame accounts for the largest rate of loss to dolphin populations both in the wild and under professional care, as compared to any other demographic age group. Beyond the critical first 30 days, the first year is also filled with challenges and milestones the calf must reach.
Photo credits: Jim Schultz / Chicago Zoological Society
The little one is well cared-for. Tapeko is an experienced mother, having successfully reared four calves, one of which was her grandson as well as her daughters Allison, 7, and Noelani, 9, who are both members of the dolphin group living at Brookfield Zoo.
"This is an important time for our breeding group of females," added Stacey. "As an experienced mom, Tapeko is able to demonstrate to the younger females how to care for a newborn calf." This is especially timely as Spree, 11, is expected to give birth to her first calf later this fall.


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Laws of Physics Under Attack by Economics
December 2, 2011
We continue to hear from nearly every leader in this country that an internationally competitive STEM education pipeline is critical to the economic security of the US. Investment in STEM programs at all levels is a stated national priority. But this vital education and economic policy objective has slammed into an economic headwind that apparently makes rational budgeting a political impossibility.
Just recently, the body that oversees public higher education in Texas voted to close six undergraduate physics programs in the state. Sadly, these programs provided critical opportunities in science to the rapidly growing minority populations. These institutions included the two largest historically black colleges and universities, Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, along with Hispanic-serving institutions like the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Oddly, science and engineering play an extraordinarily important role in this state, which is home to the Johnson Space Center, telecommunications giants like AT&T, national security companies such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, semiconductor history makers like Texas Instruments, energy leaders like Exxon Mobil, and a rapidly expanding biotechnology sector anchored by the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. In a part of our country with so much at stake in having a robust and diverse science and engineering pipeline, cutting any science program seems "penny wise and pound foolish."
But in a spirit of efficiency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has set the minimum threshold for program survival to 25 students graduating in a five-year window. You might just be thinking, "Well, let's be honest. If they can't meet this low graduation number, they ought to be closed." However, according to the American Physical Society, if this threshold were applied to all physics programs in the country, 526 of the 760 would have to shut down. And tragically, only two physics programs from the nation's 34 HBCUs would still be open.
With so much concern over the cost of higher education, this is a trend that just might be catching on. According to numerous reports, Governor Rick Scott of Florida is already considering a similar move. Is your cash-strapped state far behind?
The production of physics degrees is but one reason to maintain the existence of physics programs. Even with the longstanding federal funding for physics programs, our country has never produced much more than 6,000 physics graduates a year. (More typically, it is between 4,000 and 5,000.) Yet the entire enterprise of modern science, engineering, and medicine requires strong and available physics departments to teach the extensive physics curricula required by nearly every technical discipline. As an academic dean, my firm belief is that it will be extremely difficult to attract highly qualified physics instructors to universities that don't offer physics degrees, which inevitably will disproportionately harm minority students we work so hard to recruit. And the impact on high school science education might be just as significant. Teachers today are increasingly required to hold a degree in the discipline they teach. How will we fill the shortage of high school physics teachers if states across the nation follow the lead of Texas?
More than 50 years ago, Sputnik raised the specter that our nation's poor science and engineering education was putting our country at risk. We responded swiftly with the National Defense Education Act. Today, with intellectual might arguably more important than military might, this disturbing policy action should concern all of us.
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Climate change has many impacts on our natural resources, including shifts to the local and regional hydrologic (water-flow) cycle. For example, in many areas of our country, frequency of droughts and extreme rainfall events are increasing. Every year seems to bring about an earlier spring melt and increased surface water temperatures. These new patterns are expected to continue and to shift outside of historical trends – making forecasting our water quality and supply more difficult. Additionally, more than two thirds of our country is anticipating water shortages over the next several years.
EPA conducts research to better understand these growing impacts of climate change on water quality and availability. This cutting-edge science helps determine and support new strategies for managing watersheds and wastewater while reducing water-related energy demands. In order to protect public health and the health of our ecosystems in the face of a changing climate, EPA research focuses on:
- Modeling climate-related water resource stressors such as nutrient pollution
- Analyzing biological indicators, such as microbial, and habitat indicators, such as hydrologic alteration, to determine the condition of the watershed
- Determining how climate change affects water quality, flow patterns, and flooding risk
- Understanding estuarine and coastal vulnerabilities to climate-related factors
- Designing predictive tools for improved land use management and water utility practices
- Developing adaptation strategies, including economic, social, and ecological approaches to meet climate-related challenges.


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In the heart of winter, Cleveland transforms into a magical destination where live entertainment, sports and natural beauty converge. Because when it starts to snow, The Land puts on a show.
Can you make it to The Land in time to catch the Total Solar Eclipse? Find out by playing Road Trip to CLE now.
Few towns can boast a craft beer pedigree like Cleveland. We've brought together many of our finest breweries to create the Cleveland Brewery Passport: a unified way for you to explore everything this city has to offer without going thirsty.
This is Legends of The Land, a podcast series that centers on some of those absolutely burning questions we all have about Cleveland — the kind of stuff no one is talking about – but probably should.
You saw a few things we love about The Land from a pup's perspective. But now it's time for you and your canine companion to paw-ty it up in The Land. Enter to win the Dog's Day Off in CLE Giveaway, a two-night, all-expenses-paid trip to The Land (valued at up to $2,000).
"Beaumont is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school where girls grow to be accomplished young women, and confident, compassionate leaders for the 21st century. Sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, Beaumont educates women for life, leadership and service."


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13 Things Your Camera Wishes You Knew
Apr 16, 2014
13 Things Your Camera Wishes You Knew
Your sad, old camera will start to treat you better if you learn to take care of it.Every time I go to my nephews' soccer games and see all the parents with their cameras on "green mode", or attend a sporting event and see spectators using their flash from a quarter mile away, it makes me grit my teeth. It's all I can do to stop from walking up to them and fixing their camera for them.
This morning, I got to thinking. If it is painful for ME to see these cameras being mistreated, imagine how the camera feels! Canons have feelings too, ya know? (Nikons happen to have more, but let's not get into that).
The readers of this site tend to be a bit more knowledgeable about photography than your average shutter snapper, so I wrote this one with the more advanced photographer in mind.
Your Camera Wishes You Knew That…
Camera Tip #1: AI Focus and AI Servo are not interchangeable
Nikon cameras only have single servo (AF-S) and continuous focus (AF-C) , so you don't have to worry about this one. On a Canon camera, you have spot, AI Focus, and AI Servo focus modes. When photographers are shooting subjects that will move constantly during the shot (for example, a football player running toward the camera), they need a focus mode that will continue to focus until the instant that the shutter is released.
Trouble is that most users learn whether to use AI Focus or AI Servo for this situation, and most choose AI Focus since "Servo" sounds scarier. AI Focus tracks focus continuously until the subject stops, then it locks focus, and then tracks again if the subject begins to move. AI Servo continuously tracks focus and never locks. Although there are some situations where AI Focus is useful, my personal testing shows that a SIGNIFICANTLY higher percentage of all "moving target" shots are sharper using AI Servo in 99% of situations.
One writer online summarized it like this (and I totally agree):
- One-Shot is for when neither you, nor the subject, are moving.
- AI Servo is for when either you, or the subject, is moving.
- AI Focus is for when neither you, nor the subject care if your focus is accurate.
Camera Tip #2: Lintless cloths never seem to be lintless
I bought three or four lintless cloths at varying prices to clean my camera over the years, and then I simply gave up. Every time I cleaned the camera with the lintless cloth, it would instantly become twice as "linted." Part of the problem was the quality of the cloths, but the other problem is that the lintless cloth can get lint on it from your camera bag if you aren't extremely careful with it at all times. Then, I discovered a cheaper, easier, and cleaner way to clean my camera. I found a little product called "Pec Pads" on Amazon. It is basically a package of 100 disposable TRULY LINTLESS cloths. Use once and throw it away, so you don't have to worry about lint getting on your lintless crap. For only $10, it's a steal!
Camera Tip #3: Memory cards are not created equal
Without even arguing brand, let us talk about speed for a minute. If you do not know how to check the class of your memory card, you MUST read this article on memory cards. Suddenly, you'll realize that it was your memory card, and not your camera, that was slowing things down.
Camera Tip #4: The camera feels more secure with the center column of your tripod down
When I go on workshops, I see about half of the photographers use the center column of their tripods to get the camera up to eye level. Most of the time, the photographers use the center column because their tripod is too short if only the legs are extended. When you buy a tripod, make sure to buy one that is tall enough to reach your eye level without using the center column. Need help with a tripod purchase? Here's a list of tripods I personally recommend.
Camera Tip #5: Exposure compensation is the best friend of a pop-up flash
Most photographers don't use the pop-up flash because of the horrendous light quality it produces, but all of us get in a pinch sometimes where we use it to get a grab shot. You may not know that you can control the output of the flash by using the FLASH compensation setting in your menu. No, it is not the same thing as exposure compensation, which has no effect on the output of the flash.
Camera Tip #6: A battery grip will be the best $50 you ever spend on your camera (yes, I said $50)
A battery grip is an add-on to the bottom of your camera that gives you another shutter button so you can hold the camera properly when shooting verticals. Also, it allows you to stack another battery in there. For some camera models, the battery pack will increase the frames per second you can capture and improves your autofocus speeds. For every camera model, it allows you to shoot for twice as long (read: an entire wedding) without changing batteries. Most battery packs by Canon or Nikon cost $250 or more. Fortunately, there are many third-party batter packs available and most of them are EXACTLY as good as the Canon or Nikon battery grip. Copy this paragraph and email it to your spouse. Make the subject line of the email "Christmas idea."
Camera Tip #7: You don't need 3 pictures of every picture
This weekend, I hired 3 models and a few assistants for a MASSIVE portrait photography shoot in a studio, a soccer field, a barn, an urban city, and in a lake (yes, IN the lake). It was a giant production that lasted 12 hours. How many memory cards do you think I needed for that shoot? Answer: one. I shot a total of 420 pictures. Why so few? I only took one frame of each pose. When you have the fundamentals of sharpness down, it will no longer be necessary to take multiple photos of the exact same pose in hopes of getting a sharp one. I always tell every model I work with that they should vary up the pose slightly every time they hear the shutter snap. If I really want to go back and work on one pose, I'll say so. Working this way is much more efficient, and you will save time editing. Also, I believe I came home with more DIFFERENT poses than if I had taken multiple pictures of every pose.
Camera Tip #8: The LCD will lie like a politician
Photographers call it "chimping" when someone looks at every shot on the LCD after it is taken. The name comes from people looking at the camera and repeatedly saying "oooh" like a chimpanzee. Anyway, looking at the LCD all the time can distract you from shooting, but the point here is that, if you don't check the histogram rather than the picture on the LCD, then chimping isn't going to do you much good. Think about it. You already knew what the composition and lighting would look like before you took the shot. You don't need an LCD for that, you only need a viewfinder. The purpose of chimping, for me, is mostly to see the histogram.
Why look at the histogram rather than simply looking at the picture to determine if it is properly exposed? The problem is that an LCD is made up of little lights! If you look at the screen when it is dark outside, the photo will look VERY bright. If you look at the picture when it is bright outside, the photo will look dark. Judging exposure by looking at the picture on the LCD is a terrible habit. When you get home and put the photos on the computer, you'll probably recognize that many of your photos are not properly exposed. You've probably heard this tip before, so START DOING IT!
Camera Tip #9: RAW files should never be left naked
I always recommend that photographers shoot in RAW so that they have a greater latitude in post-processing. UNFORTUNATELY, I have spent enough time on Flickr to see that many many photographers shoot a RAW file, convert it immediately to JPEG, and then post it on the web. It is easy to spot because RAW files look totally naked. They have no sharpening, contrast, or color pop to them. Your camera would appreciate it if you either (1) shoot in JPEG so it can apply these things for you, or (2) never EVER convert a RAW file to JPEG without first dressing it up a little with some basic changes in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. And, before you ask, the "clarity" slider in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom is NOT for sharpening.
Camera Tip #10: Your camera doesn't have much to do with sharpness, so find something else to blame
I have shot with almost every DSLR made by Canon, Nikon, and Sony produced in the last 5 years, and I have never seen a DSLR that is incapable of recording sharp images. That simply isn't the problem. If your photos aren't as sharp as you would like, then you should first fix your fundamentals and then determine the problem is caused by a cheap lens.
Camera Tip #11: The camera strap that came with your camera is for lynch mobs, not photographers
I survived about two weeks with the uncomfortable camera strap that came with my first camera. One of my first purchases was a cushy camera strap. I have gone through a couple different brands, but my current favorite is the Black Rapid camera strap. It's a thing of beauty. Check out my full review of the Black Rapid strap here. It doesn't matter which one you choose, but do your neck a favor and buy something comfortable. You can even by cheap cushioned straps on Amazon for as little as $10.
Camera Tip #12: Erase all images and "format card" do very, very different things
If you have been using "erase all images" then you will probably like reading this article, "9 Things Photographers Should Know about Memory Cards."
Camera Tip #13: Your camera craves customization
Most higher end DSLRs (anything other than Canon Rebels and Nikon D3100s) give you the option of customizing what the buttons on your camera do. If you find yourself constantly going through the menus to do some things, you can customize your camera buttons to do that operation for you. Spend 10 minutes with your camera manual and you'll have a much easier time shooting in the field. This is how many sports and wildlife photographers do "back button autofocus."
About The Author
Jim Harmer is an author, photographer and the founder of the excellent improve photography. If you like what you've read make sure to visit his blog, course site and like him on facebook. This post was originally published here. [lead photo by Steve Rainwater]
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We love it when our readers get in touch with us to share their stories. This article was contributed to DIYP by a member of our community. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact us here.
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Sitta canadensis is native throughout the Nearctic region. It is the only migratory species in the family Sittidae. Its northern breeding range includes southeast Alaska, southern Yukon, southeast Mackenzie Valley, central Quebec, and Newfoundland in Canada. In the United States it breeds from central Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Michigan, and the southern Oregon border to northern California. On the east coast S. canadensis breeds from southern New York through Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. It migrates irregularly to southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northern Florida to the Gulf Coast. (Ehrlich, et al., 1988; Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches prefer mature, partly open coniferous or mixed conifer-deciduous stands for breeding. They favor stands that have a tall, dense canopy and a dense understory of saplings. This structure provides protection from unfavorable environmental conditions and predators, and provides a greater abundance of arthropods.
Researchers found that nuthatches prefer ponderosa pine and incense cedar, which both have a rough bark surface that supports a diversity of arthropods. Smooth bark species, such as black oak and white fir are not visited regularly by nuthatches. (Adams and Morrison, 1993)
Red-breasted nuthatches are small nuthatches with compact bodies, short tails and necks, and a long tapered bill. They have very sturdy toes and claws that allow them to climb down trees headfirst or to move along the undersides of branches with their back to the ground. They average 11.5 cm in length and have an average mass of 10 grams. This is the only North American nuthatch that has a broad black stripe through the eye and a white stripe above it. Other distinguishing characteristics include a black cap on the head, a bluish gray back, and an underside washed with a rusty red or brown color. The chin, cheeks, and sides of the neck are white and the tail is characterized by white bands and dark tips on the outer tail feathers. Their wings are long and pointed and have ten primary flight feathers.
There is little difference between the sexes, except the female has a bluish black cap and paler underparts. Juveniles are similar to adults, but their head markings and underparts are duller in color. (Ehrlich, et al., 1988; Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches are monogamous. They form breeding pairs beginning in winter or spring, and stay together for a year or more. Each pair defends a territory through the breeding season, and possibly through the year if the cone crop is good. In order to attract a female, males perform courtship displays that include raising their head and tail, drooping the wings, and fluffing the back feathers. A male sways from side to side and sings with his back turned toward the female. During courtship, males sing up to 50 times per minute from the tops of trees and potential nest trees. They also bring food to the female during courtship. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999a; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b; Stalloup, 1968; Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches begin breeding in their first year. Both adults take part in nest building. They usually dig a cavity in a tree stump or a branch of a dead tree, or occupy a vacant woodpecker hole. They use smeared resin to protect the inside of the nest, allowing just enough room for their body widths. This prevents insects, small mammals, and other birds from entering the nest cavity. Inside the cavity is a cup nest built with grasses, roots, mosses, shredded bark, and plant fibers.
Breeding occurs from mid-April through early August, with peak activity from May through July. Red-breasted nuthatches raise one brood per year. The female lays 5 to 8 (usually 6) pinkish-white eggs that are speckled with a reddish brown color. One egg is laid each day. The female incubates the eggs, which hatch after 12 to 13 days. During incubation, the male provides food to the female, allowing her to spend more time on the nest. After the eggs are hatched, the altricial nestlings are brooded for the first few days by the female. The male brings food to both the female and young. The young leave the nest 18 to 21 days after hatching. They become fully independent about 2 weeks after fledging. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999a; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b; Stalloup, 1968; Terres, 1982)
Because nuthatch chicks are hidden in nest cavities, little is known about the development. The newly hatched young are altricial, which means they are immobile, have closed eyes, and must be cared for by the adult. The female broods the chicks for the first week after hatching. During this time, the male brings food to the nest for the female and chicks. During the nestling and fledgling periods, both adults feed the chicks. They also remove the fecal sacs of the chicks from the nest. The chicks typically leave the nest 18 to 21 days after hatching, but may remain partially dependent on their parents for food for another two weeks. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b; Terres, 1982)
The oldest known red-breasted nuthatch lived for at least 7 years and 6 months. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b; USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 2002)
Instead of using the tail for support, as many bark gleaning species do, red-breasted nuthatches climb with one foot higher to hang from, and the other lower for support. They are able to climb headfirst down trees using this method. Climbing down trees provides a greater opportunity to find food in bark crevices that are overlooked by species that climb up trees.
Red-breasted nuthatches are extremely territorial during the breeding season. Pairs may even remain together throughout the winter to defend food territories if resources are plentiful. When resources are not plentiful, nuthatches migrate and spend the winter in mixed flocks. Red-breasted nuthatches are longer-lived and less fecund than white-breasted nuthatches, and so they place greater value on their own survival and future breeding rather than on their offspring's' survival. Ghalambor and Martin (1999) conducted an experiment to determine risk-taking behaviors associated with the red-breasted versus white-breasted nuthatches. Both respond to predators by increasing the time between nest visits and aborting some nest visits. However, the red-breasted nuthatches respond more to predators of adults rather than to predators of eggs, and the white-breasted had the opposite response. This suggests that life history directly affects parental care behaviors in this species.
Male threat displays are similar to the displays used for the courtship of females. Threat displays include a posture with drooping wings, an erect tail, and raised crest feathers. The head may be lowered and the tail is fanned with a pendulum-like motion. Agonistic behavior includes both aggressive and combat displays
Food shortages in the north cause irruptions of red-breasted nuthatches, which are southward invasions in unusually large numbers. They appear to be irregular events triggered by alternating seasons of crop failure. (Ehrlich, et al., 1988; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999a; Terres, 1982)
There is no information available on the home range of red-breasted nuthatches. (Ehrlich, et al., 1988; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999a; Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches use a variety of physical displays and vocalizations to communicate. The most common call of red-breasted nuthatches is a nasal "yank-yank" call that has been describes as sounding like a small tin horn. Both males and females have a broad range of other calls that are softer and used less frequently. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b)
Red-breasted nuthatches' diet consists of pine, spruce, and other conifer seeds and insects including beetles, wasps, caterpillars, crane flies, moths, and insect eggs. In general, the diet consists of mostly arthropods during the breeding season, and conifer seeds during the non-breeding season. The young are fed exclusively insects.
Nuthatches are bark-gleaning birds. They primarily forage on trunks, but also use a wide variety of substrates including branches, stumps, and the ground. They break food apart by wedging it into bark crevices and breaking smaller pieces off, or by prying seeds open with their strong beaks.
Nuthatches regularly store food during the fall and winter. They cache food under bark, in holes in tree trunks, and sometimes on the ground. They obtain water by drinking from small pools of water. (Adams and Morrison, 1993; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b; Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches are preyed upon by a number of bird and mammal species. Predators of adult red-breasted nuthatches include sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, merlins, northern pygmy-owls, spotted owls, red squirrels and weasels. Steller's jays, housewrens, gray-necked chipmunks, weasels and mice are known predators of eggs and nestlings.
Red-breasted nuthatches defend their nest from predators by surrounding the entrance to the nest with pine pitch. They also join other small birds in mobbing potential predators, such as hawks and jays. When a nest is threatened, the female may jump out of her nest cavity and perch near the entrance to perform an anti-predator display. She spreads her wings and sways slowly back and forth to distract the predator from the nest. (Ghalambor and Martin, 1999a; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b)
Adams and Morrison (1993) reported that red-breasted nuthatches may be important in the seed dispersal and germination of forest trees, based on observations of seed caching (localized storaging of food). (Adams and Morrison, 1993)
Red-breasted nuthatches eat a variety of insects, including beetles, wasps, and flies, that humans consider to be pests. (Terres, 1982)
Red-breasted nuthatches have no known negative effect on humans.
Populations of red-breasted nuthatches are increasing overall, but declining locally in some areas. Red-breasted nuthatches depend on habitat with standing dead trees and a variety of species. Logging and management practices that remove dead trees or reduce plant diversity have a negative impact on nuthatch populations. (Adams and Morrison, 1993; Ghalambor and Martin, 1999b)
The word 'nuthatch' may come from a Eurasian relative's fondness for hazelnuts, or for their ability to hack open nuts and seeds. (Terres, 1982)
Kari Kirschbaum (author, editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Cara Sands (author), Western Maryland College, Randall L. Morrison (editor), Western Maryland College.
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
uses sound to communicate
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
an animal that mainly eats meat
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds
Having one mate at a time.
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
breeding is confined to a particular season
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
places a food item in a special place to be eaten later. Also called "hoarding"
living in residential areas on the outskirts of large cities or towns.
uses touch to communicate
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
Living on the ground.
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
uses sight to communicate
Adams, E., M. Morrison. 1993. Effects of forest stand structure and composition on red-breasted nuthatches and brown creepers. Journal of Wildlife Management, 57(3): 616-633.
Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, D. Wheye. 1988. The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of Northern American Birds. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.
Ghalambor, C., T. Martin. 1999. Parental investment strageties in two species of nuthatch vary with stage-specific predation risk and reproductive effort. Animal Behavior, 60: 263-276.
Ghalambor, C., T. Martin. 1999. Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis). Pp. 1-28 in A Poole, F Gill, eds. The Birds of North America, Vol. 459. Philadelphia, PA: The Birds of North America, Inc.
Stalloup, P. 1968. Spatio-temporal relationships of nuthatches and woodpeckers in ponderosa pine forests of Colorado. Ecology, 49: 831-843.
Terres, J. 1982. The Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Random House Inc.
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 2002. "Longevity Records of North American Birds" (On-line). Accessed 22 April 2003 at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/longvrec.htm.


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Huitzilopochtli was the patron deity in Aztec mythology. The Aztecs were an ancient civilization living in Mexico when the Spaniards arrived in 1519 to conquer Central America. Huitzilopochtli, whose name means "Blue Hummingbird on the Left", was the Aztec god of the Sun and the war. Huitzilopochtli was depicted as a blue man fully armed and with his head decorated with hummingbird feathers.His mother Coatlicue was magically impregnated when a ball of feathers fell into the temple where she was sweeping and came into contact with her breast. This mysterious pregnancy greatly distressed her existing four hundred star children who thought she had disgraced them. One sister of Huitzilopochtli, Coyolxauhqui, instigated her star sisters and brothers to kill their mother, Coatlicue.
However, Huitzilopochtli sprang out of his mother as an adult fully armed and slew Coyolxauhqui and his other star brothers and sisters. Thus, Huitzilopochtli cut off Coyolxauhqui's head and threw it in the sky to become the Moon. Huitzilopochtli was the god who was supposed to guide Aztecs towards a promised land in the South. He incited Aztec people to fight without mercy, to form an empire, and to gather prisoners to sacrifice to the gods.
Aztecs used to offer frequent and numerous human sacrifices to their gods in order to secure rain, harvests and success in war. The victims were usually prisoners captured in the frequent wars that Aztecs were fighting against their neighbors. The most common form of sacrifice was to tear out the heart of a living adult or child and offer it to the Sun.


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August 23, 2012
Registration is open for K-State's Sustainability Conference
Registration is open for the fourth annual statewide Higher Education Sustainability Conference, Thursday, Sept. 6, at the K-State Student Union.
This conference will empower attendees with new ways to help sustain Kansas through environmental, social and economic issues.
- Network and learn more about sustainability efforts in higher education from experts throughout the state.
- Learn about challenges to sustainability work in commerce; nonprofits and advocacy communities; and student life.
- Engage in presentations and panel discussions with faculty, students, nonprofit leaders and community representatives.
- Experience an interactive World Cafe session and poster presentations.
- Enjoy a local foods luncheon with keynote speaker Nancy Jackson from the Climate and Energy Project.
Registration is $60 and student registration is $10 with an optional $25 for students to attend the luncheon. Sponsorships of all levels are accepted including sponsoring a student's registration or luncheon.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to submit a poster display, which will soon be indicated at registration. Each institution at the conference is also invited to provide a brief update of recent sustainability efforts at their institution.
You may want to also attend K-State's conference on Adapting to a Changing Climate on the Central Great Plains on Sept. 4 and 5 in the K-State Student Union.
Register today or contact Kathryn Harth, conference coordinator, at email@example.com or 785-532-2495; or Ben Champion, conference host, at firstname.lastname@example.com or 785-313-3085; about these conferences.


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Halfway through his Presidency, George W. Bush called on the country to build "an ownership society." He trumpeted the soaring rate of U.S. homeownership, and extolled the virtues of giving individuals more control over their own financial lives. It was a comforting vision, but, as we now know, behind it was a bleak reality—bad subprime loans, mountains of credit-card debt, and shrinking pensions—reflecting a simple fact: when it comes to financial matters, many Americans have been left without a clue.
The depth of our financial ignorance is startling. In recent years, Annamaria Lusardi, an economist at Dartmouth and the head of the Financial Literacy Center, has conducted extensive studies of what Americans know about finance. It's depressing work. Almost half of those surveyed couldn't answer two questions about inflation and interest rates correctly, and slightly more sophisticated topics baffle a majority of people. Many people don't know the terms of their mortgage or the interest rate they're paying. And, at a time when we're borrowing more than ever, most Americans can't explain what compound interest is.
Financial illiteracy isn't new, but the consequences have become more severe, because people now have to take so much responsibility for their financial lives. Pensions have been replaced with 401(k)s; many workers have to buy their own health insurance; and so on. The financial marketplace, meanwhile, has become a dizzying emporium of choice and easy credit. The decisions are more numerous and complex than ever before. As Lusardi puts it, "It's like we've opened a faucet, and told people they can draw as much water as they want, and it's up to them to decide when they've had enough. But we haven't given people the tools to decide how much is too much."
Unsurprisingly, the less people know, the more they run into trouble. Gary Rivlin's blistering new examination of the subprime economy, "Broke, U.S.A.," is full of stories of financially ignorant people bamboozled into making bad decisions — refinancing out of low-interest mortgages, say, or buying overpriced credit insurance — by a consumer finance industry adept at creating confusing products. Such stories are backed up by the numbers. A study by economists at the Atlanta Fed found that thirty per cent of people in the lowest quartile of financial literacy thought they had a fixed-rate mortgage when in fact they had an adjustable-rate one. A study of subprime borrowers in the Northeast found that, of the people who scored in the bottom quartile on a very basic test of calculation skills, a full twenty per cent had been foreclosed on, compared with just five per cent of those in the top quartile.
What can be done? One solution is regulation: the financial-reform bill now before Congress will create a consumer financial-protection agency that should help curb the finance industry's most predatory excesses. Another solution is to tinker with "choice architecture" — doing things like enrolling people in 401(k)s automatically — in order to "nudge" them toward better decisions. Both of these strategies are necessary, but they're not enough on their own, because financially illiterate consumers are always going to be easy victims. We also urgently need proper financial education.
This seems obvious, but it's surprisingly controversial. Some suggest that financial illiteracy is an example of what economists call "rational ignorance" — inattention that is justified because the costs of paying attention outweigh the benefits. But few decisions affect us more directly than the ones we make about our money. Critics also argue that financial education may make people overconfident, and therefore more likely to make bad decisions. In fact, the reverse is true: the less people know, the more overconfident in their abilities they tend to be. In a German study, eighty per cent of those surveyed described themselves as confident in their answers on a questionnaire, yet only forty-two per cent got even half the questions right. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect: people who don't know much tend not to recognize their ignorance, and so fail to seek better information. No wonder, then, that the least knowledgeable people in the Atlanta Fed study were also the least likely to do research before getting a mortgage. By contrast, well-informed people are more likely to ask others for help. If financial education taught people only how little they actually know, it would accomplish quite a lot.
The government's new consumer-protection agency has the authority to "review and streamline" financial literacy programs, but that's not enough. We really need something more like a financial equivalent of drivers' ed. There's evidence that just improving basic calculation skills and inculcating a few key concepts could make a significant difference. One study of the few states that have mandated financial education in schools found that it had a surprisingly large impact on savings rates. And the Center for American Progress has found that, across the country, education and counselling by nonprofit organizations, like the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, have helped low-income families buy and hold onto homes, even during the housing bubble. The point isn't to turn the average American into Warren Buffett but to help people avoid disasters and day-to-day choices that eat away at their bank accounts. The difference between knowing a little about your finances and knowing nothing can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. And, as the past ten years have shown us, the cost to society can be far greater than that. ♦


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